by Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849)
O! I care not that my earthly lot
Language: English
O! I care not that my earthly lot Hath little of Earth in it, That years of love have been forgot In the fever of a minute: I heed not that the desolate Are happier, sweet, than I, But that you meddle with my fate Who am a passerby. It is not that my founts of bliss Are gushing -- strange! with tears -- Or that the thrill of a single kiss Hath palsied many years -- 'Tis not that the flowers of twenty springs Which have wither'd as they rose Lie dead on my heart-strings With the weight of an age of snows. Not that the grass -- O! may it thrive! On my grave is growing or grown- But that, while I am dead yet alive I cannot be, lady, alone.
About the headline (FAQ)
First published in the Southern Literary Messenger, July 1835; revised and retitled "To One Departed" and printed in Graham's Magazine, March 1842. See also To F-- and To --.
Text Authorship:
- by Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849), "To M--", written 1835 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Benjamin C. S. Boyle , "To", op. 4 no. 3, published 2002, first performed 2003 [ baritone and piano ], from Lenoriana, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-03-11
Line count: 20
Word count: 129